1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic connector, and more particularly to a card edge connector.
2. Description of the Related Art
A card edge connector has been widely used in a personal computer or an electronic apparatus to form mechanical and electrical connections between electronic cards and motherboards. The above electronic card is a dual inline memory modules (DIMMs), for example. One of the functions of the card edge connector is to accommodate the electronic card so that conductive terminals in the card edge connector electrically connect with corresponding contact pads of the electronic card. Through the electrical connection of the conductive terminals and the motherboard, signals are transmitted between the electronic card and the motherboard. It should be noted that since the connection of the contact pads of the electronic card and the conductive terminals of the card edge connector are subject to disconnection due to vibration, the card edge connector should comprise the function of securing the electronic card in a fixed position. Therefore, a card edge connector generally comprises a pair of latch mechanisms to prevent the disconnection of the conductive terminals of the card edge connector and the contact pads of the electronic card due to vibration.
Generally, a conventional card edge connector comprises an insulating housing, a plurality of conductive terminals, and a pair of latches. The insulating housing comprises a slot and a pair of supporting beams. These conductive terminals are disposed in and through the insulating housing. The conductive terminals extend to the bottom of the insulating housing through the body of the insulating housing. The supporting beams extend outwardly from two ends of the insulating housing respectively and along a direction which is orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the insulating housing. The latches are pivotally connected to the corresponding supporting beams respectively.
When the contact pads of the electronic card are inserted in the slot of the card edge connector, the conductive terminals of the electronic card contact and electrically connect with the contact pads respectively by the structure interference between the contact pads of the electronic card and the conductive terminals in the slot. Then, the latches firmly fasten the electronic card on the insulating housing of the card edge connector to prevent the disconnection of the contact pads and the conductive terminals caused by vibration. The latches also comprise ejecting portions. When each latch rotates around the corresponding pivot, the ejecting portions eject the electronic card from the slot so that removal of the electronic card becomes easier.
In order to maintain the electrical connection of the conductive terminals in the slot and the contact portions of the electronic card, when the contact pads of the electronic card are inserted in the slot of the card edge connector, the contact pads of the electronic card should hold the conductive terminals open and are inserted to the correct location in the slot by the interference-fit method. Since a metal protection layer, such as a gold layer, covers the contact pads, i.e., gold fingers, of the electronic card, the metal protection layer is worn because of friction between the conductive terminals and the contact pads due to frequent insertions and removals of the electronic card and the card edge connector. Meanwhile, since the contact pads of the electronic card should hold the conductive terminals open so as to be inserted into the correct location, an excessive force must be applied to the edge of the electronic card manually. Further, it may generate a pressure back to the user's fingertips.